An example of Hong Kong action cinema at its most mainstream, A Man Called Hero owes perhaps more to the films of Steven Segal than it does those of John Woo. The tale of a mythical hero who borders on the status of superhero, the film is stripped of any potential credibility by some of the most appalling dubbing ever seen at the cinema. While the original Chinese cast may inject the movie with passion, their American voice-over replacements obviously never made it past the sincere section of acting class. Each line is delivered with such false earnestness that the film sounds like a cross between Days of Our Lives and an episode of Pokémon. No cinematic cliché is left untouched, suggesting that this is not just a case of something lost in the translation but just a bad film... in anybody's language. The world-wide success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has proved that there is a huge market for original Eastern cinema, even more reason to avoid the pointless rehashing of the worst of Hollywood that A Man Called Hero undoubtedly is. --Phil Udell
Rarely is it possible to bring together an action box-set that is such pure dynamite as this pair of Jackie Chan classics. Police Story is regarded by fans and critics alike as the apex of Jackie Chan's celebrated career. Police Story: Winner of the 'Best Picture' and 'Best Action Choreography' Awards at the 1985 Hong Kong Film Festival 'Police Story' is regarded by fans and critics alike as the apex of Jackie Chan's celebrated career. Breaking new ground with its breathtaking fights and stunt sequences it very quickly became a standard-bearer for Hong Kong Cinema all over the World. Featuring a top-notch cast which includes multi-award-winning actresses Brigitte Lin and Maggie Cheung director Chan combines a compelling storyline of an honest cop on the run from a false murder charge with dynamic visuals and full-blooded fight action which is electrified with emotional underscoring. A true classic of Hong Kong cinema! Police Story 2: Kevin Chan demoted and harrassed for his one-man war against a gang of criminals decides to take a much needed vacation but is back in business when Hong Kong becomes the target for a string of bomb scares...
Hong Kong legend Chow Yun Fat is reunited with long time on-screen lover Cherrie Chung in this explosive retelling of Peter Weir's 'Witness'. The ever-charismatic Chow stars as a cynical big city cop charged with protecting a vulnerable murder witness from the sadistic killer who wants her dead whatever the cost... An intense hardboiled love story-thriller 'Wild Search' twins nerve shredding tension and incendiary gun play with uniquely compelling performances from the director
Unleashed: Serve no master. Written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Louis Leterrier Unleashed features a fantastic performance from martial arts superstar Jet Li. On and beneath the mean streets of Glasgow fiery gangster Bart (Hoskins) is merciless with debtors would-be rivals and anyone else he takes a passing dislike to. Bart maintains his stranglehold through his unwitting enforcer Danny (Jet Li) who he has 'raised' since boyhood. Danny has been kept as a near-prisoner: trained to attack and if necessary kill. Danny knows little of life except the brutal existence that Bart has so cruelly fashioned for him. However when Danny has a chance encounter with the sightless piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman) he senses true kindness and compassion for the first time and experiences the transforming power of music. When a sudden gangland coup separates Danny from Bart and the gang Danny escapes the underworld. Taking refuge with Sam and his stepdaughter Victoria (Kerry Condon) Danny finds a family of sorts and a future... However the mob will not give up their prize asset so easily and Danny must soon call upon his skills once more to protect his family and bury his past. (Dir. Louis Leterrier 2005) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Amazing martial arts fighting sequences (choreographed by Yuen wo Ping - The Matrix) stunning special effects action adventure and romance have made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon the most talked about movie of the year. Martial arts masters Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) battle against evil forces to recover their stolen sword the legendary Green Destiny. (Dir. Ang Lee 2000) Kung Fu Hustle: From walking disaster to Kung Fu master: it's a new comedy unlike anything you have seen before! In the 1940's Chinese province of Guangdong petty thief Sing (Stephen Chow) aspires to become a member of the notorious Axe gang the fiercest cruel and most widespread crime syndicate in the city. However Sing is just a street rascal (trying to ignore the fact that his heart is actually in the right place) and so he ventures into the run-down Pig Sty Alley to prove his worth. However in attempting to extort money from the hairdresser Sing unwittingly exposes the plump landlady her hen-pecked husband the camp tailor and rugged coolie as martial arts masters in hiding. Coming to the attention of the Axe gang who want to clear out the apartments Sing's actions have set off a relentless chain of events that brings the clans together in an explosive battle! Stephen Chow continues his unique comedy style that first came to the attention of the West in Shaolin Soccer mixing slapstick in the finest tradition of Buster Keaton; to marvellous martial arts choreographed by none other than Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix Kill Bill); to dance sequences with tuxedoed gangsters; to moments of genuine pathos concerning Sing's mysterious history involving a beautiful mute lollipop vendor... (Dir. Stephen Chow 2004)
Movie-kinetics genius. Kung Fu Hustle takes the gleeful mayhem of Hong Kong action movies, the deadpan physical humor of silent comedies, and the sheer elasticity of Wile E. Coyote cartoons and fuses them into a spectacle that is simple in its joys and mind-boggling in its orchestration. A run-down slum has been poor but peaceful until a bunch of black-suited gangsters called the Axe Gang show up to cause trouble --and discover that, hidden among the humble poor, are three kung fu masters trying to live an ordinary life. But after these martial artists repulse the gang with their flying fists and feet, the gang leader hires a pair of assassins, whose arrival leads to the unveiling of more secrets, until both the screen and the audience are dizzy with hyperbolic fight artistry (choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who also choreographed MThe Matrix). Weaving through this escalating fury is a loudmouthed loser (writer/director/actor Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself having to live up to his bragging. Kung Fu Hustle more than lives up to the promise of Chow's previous film, Shaolin Soccer -- it's a movie made by an imagination unfettered by the laws of physics. Hugely entertaining. --Bret Fetzer
A revenge-fuelled Hong Kong martial arts flick! This Korean Kung Fu flick has become a culkt favourite across the globe ever since its release back in the 80's. Now for the first time fans can get this world exclusive on DVD. Benny Tsui stars as a young martial artist out to make a name for himself against the White Tiger gang.
At age 17 Chan plays Jackie a young man who is intrigued with martial arts but forbidden by his father to learn. He meets a beggar (Siu Tien Yuen) who offers to teach him. Jackie learns in secret until local mobsters put the squeeze on the family business.
A small time thief, Sing, aspires to be part of the ruthless gang in this martial arts comedy.
Stephen Chow's follow-up to SHAOLIN SOCCER ups the over-the-top action quotient by about three zillion percent. The story is set in 1930s Hong Kong, with Chow as a shaggy-haired, would-be bad guy named Sing, who gets caught up in the middle of a war between the top-hat-wearing Axe gang and the hard scrabble inhabitants of Pig Sty Alley. Chow who wrote, produced, and directed doesn't step in as the star here for quite a while, letting the comic duties fly in a myriad of directions: a landlady in curlers (Yuen Qiu) has a yell that can flatten buildings; people get kicked across courtyards and through walls; musician assassins whip ghost sabres from lyre strings, and a mental patient in pink flip-flops named 'the Beast' (Leung Siu Lung) catches bullets in his fingers. Buoyed by SOCCER's box office success, HUSTLE uses bigger production values and a dizzying amount of CGI-enhanced martial arts (imagine Bruce Lee vs. Bugs Bunny in THE MATRIX). It's full of references to other films and filmmakers, revering spaghetti westerns and '70s Shaw brothers movies a la Tarantino's KILL BILL (fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping worked on both films). It also pays sly homage to the works of Wong Kar Wai, D.W. Griffith, Sam Raimi, Jean-Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick, and Akira Kurosawa. Raymond Wong's inspired score matches each cinematic reference with the appropriate cue as the camera circles and swoops around the sprawling sets. This is a real treat, more than a great action film or comedy, it's a great film period, and one that set box office records in the East.
This gripping martial arts thriller shows how dangerous times make heroes of desperate men. After a severe drought Ma Wing Jing and Tai Cheung leave Shantung for Shanghai and are forced to work as coolies. Ma earns the hatred of a crime boss when she saves the life of his rival.
Young Jackie Chan cannot afford to take proper Kung Fu lessons and so he accepts an offer from a 'beggar' to teach him. The beggar is really an Old Master and he teaches Jackie through to adulthood. Jackie is eventually sought by the man who killed his father for a blindfolded deathmatch.One of Jackie's earliest films dating from 1974.
Deadly Snail vs Kung Fu Killers: ; In this kung fu fantasy a daring duel of powers between the fairies finds the young mortal Cheung rescuing the Sky Mussel Fairy. His bravery is not repaid however as Cheung is driven out of his home by his uncle. Now Cheung must struggle to stay alive in a world of gods and demons with only his kung fu powers to keep him safe. With wild images dazzling visuals and mind-boggling fights Deadly Snail vs. Kung Fu Killers is fast furious kung fu action! (Dir. Heung Ling 1977) Kung Fu Zombie: A criminal comes to town in order to kill Billy Chong over a past dispute. But instead of getting his own hands dirty he hires a Taoist wizard to animate some zombies to do the job for him. The plan goes horribly wrong and the criminal ends up getting killed in his own trap. This antagonises the villain's spirit and he forces the priest to reincarnate him - only they can't find a suitable body. Meanwhile an undead fiend of sorts comes to town to kill Billy's father over some other past dispute. Billy manages to kill the attacker however there is now a body suitable for the criminal and this time Billy's going to have to face him... (Dir. Hua I-Jung 1982) Kung Fu Beyond The Grave: It's the seventh month of the lunar calendar: the gates of hell open to let out the ghosts of the dead. Chun Sing (Billy Chong) is visited by his deceased father who tells the young man that his enemy is a priest who commands the dark forces of black magic. Luckily Chun Sing gets help from a magic book a group of friendly ghosts and a house full of hookers! Kung fu action at its best! (Dir. Lee Chiu 1982)
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